Effects of alcohol misuse on the evolution of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in France: results from CONFINS cohort

OBJECTIVES: to describe the evolution of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in France and to assess whether it differed according to pre-existing alcohol misuse. DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal study. SETTING: A French online cohort: CONFINS. Data has been collected since the first lockdown in April-May 2020 until January 2022. PARTICIPANTS: 1868 participants being at least 18 years of age and who had been confined in France by government measures. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: items (GAD-7). Its association with alcohol misuse (defined using AUDIT-C score) was estimated using segmented linear mixed models. Interactions with gender and perceived loneliness at baseline were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 1868 included participants, 729 responded to at least one follow-up questionnaire (median follow-up time: 46 weeks). We identified 58% as having pre-existing alcohol misuse. Alcohol misuse was significantly associated with an increased GAD-7 score starting at the second lockdown in women (β=0.30; p=0.014) and in participants having a high perceived loneliness (β=0.59; p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-existing alcohol misuse appeared to be a risk factor for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for women and those with high perceived loneliness. Mental health support should be proposed to these vulnerable groups in the event of a future health crisis.